Flying Home
by Eileen Blazer
Summary: After having passed on the Power, Tommy has a new goal: to win back Kimberly Hart. But he has to catch up with her first. UPDATED!! Last Chapter!
1. Part One

AN: Hiya All! Remember me? You don't? Oh well. I posted a story in   
April, called Free to Fly and said it was the prequel to something   
else. Surprise! I was going to call it Birds of a Feather but changed   
my mind. You don't need to have read the other one, but there are a few   
references to it. Like the title. ANYwayz, hope you like it, please   
review (pretty please with white ranger on top?)  
  
Flying Home  
  
By Eileen Blazer  
July 2002  
Rating: Um, PG  
Summary: Having passed on the Power, Tommy decides to pursue a new   
goal: winning back Kimberly. Of course, he has to find her first.  
  
Part One  
  
The young man was in a window seat, gazing intently at the Iowa fields   
in the distance. His features, often described as handsome, offered a   
picture of tranqility. Warm breath blew up his face, chasing away stray   
brown locks, as his hands comfortably folded over the arm of the chair.   
This man was an image of relaxation and contentment.  
  
But it was all just an act.  
  
Inside, Tommy felt like Alice falling through a rabbit hole, into a   
world of turmoil and confusion. So many fears and thoughts ate away at   
his mind.   
  
Would she be there? What would she say? Or think? Worse yet, what if he   
couldn't change her mind?  
  
But he had to hope.   
  
Inside his pocket, over his heart, Tommy carried an aged letter. Its   
edges had been folded and creased, the once stark white of the paper   
now yellowing. The black ink had faded and had he not memorized the   
words long ago, Tommy might not have been able to read it. But the   
message still burned in him like a candle held under his hand, roasting   
the flesh in its torturous flame.   
  
It was The Letter, now infamous among his friends of the time. The   
Letter that had catapulted him into weeks of depression, a time of   
denial, and years of nightmares. With a few words, his heart had been   
crushed like a rose under a giant's feet.   
  
You're free to fly, she'd said.   
  
Hadn't she known that her love was the wind on which he soared? Before   
she graced his life, Tommy'd been lost, alone, afraid to trust. After   
she left him, he reverted back to the shell of his past. Empty smiles   
and fake concern became his trademark, fooling all but closest friends.   
  
There's someone else, she'd said.  
  
How could anyone else need her like he did? How was it possible that   
any other man breathed her in like air, worshipped her for her love?  
  
They shared something different than ordinary love, something that can   
only be found with the knowledge that the other might die in the next   
instant. With the Rangers, life itself was an uncertainty, so you had   
love as though every second were the last. In the many but too few   
seconds passed with her, Tommy had learned to pour out the love she   
inspired, to cherish every time his hand held hers, to seek out little   
kisses as often as possible.   
  
And she'd left.   
  
Of course, he encouraged her to go to Florida; it had been her big   
chance. Kat, the sweet girl that she was, was more than willing to fill   
in as the Pink Ranger. Not that he wanted Kat to replace his love, or   
ever felt the lovely uniform was anything but ill-fitting on her.  
  
In the aftermath of the whole Letter ordeal, Tommy had been angry. For   
a while, he shrugged off any mention of Kimberly's name and   
occasionally declared that he had had never had a truly happy   
relationship. He even went so far as to date Kat, an act that neither   
placated nor amused his worried friends.  
  
When the Rangers decided to step down, they'd all decided to go their   
own ways. He and Kat, then a couple in name only, shook hands and   
parted. She left to a dancing school in Austrailia; he booked a plane   
to Florida.  
  
To find the only love in his life.   
  
  
****************  
  
  
Why is it that although California and Florida are famous for their   
sunny beaches, it always seemed to rain? It had poured when he boarded   
the plane; it poured when he got off. Tommy lifted a newpaper over his   
head and examined the city in the distance.   
  
Tall buildings, an occasional tree, sidewalk, it looked pretty much   
like any other place he'd ever been. Well, except for Rita's evil   
palace on the moon, *that* was definitely unique. Tommy joined the   
surge of people waving frantically to their relatives waiting on the   
other side, tugging small children behind them by the hand, taking   
snapshots and posing by the windows. For a moment, he imagined that   
circumstances were different and someone waited for him at the other   
end, her wide grin shinning as her light brown hair bounced up and down   
with her.  
  
"I love you Tommy Oliver!" She would have shouted. It felt so real, he   
could almost hear her yelling his name loudly through the crowds.  
  
"Tommy Oliver!" He heard again. But this time it sounded much more   
masculine. A tap on the shoulder spun him around. An older, bearded man   
offered him a small bag, laughing, breathing heavily. "You are Tommy   
Oliver?" He asked.  
  
Tommy nodded. "Good, because you left this on the plane. Had to cover   
it up with my bag here, else the water would have ruined it." His   
wrinkled hand reached in and removed a tiny velvet box, wiping a few   
drops off the label pasted on the bottom. "Wouldn't want the lucky girl   
to get her hands all smudged, would we?"  
  
The ex-Ranger accepted the box with a startled thanks, turning it   
upside down to read the words printed beneath it.   
  
Thomas Oliver and Kimberley Ann Hart  
Bound by Fate and the Truest of Loves  
  
He looked up to see the man but he'd already vanished. Pocketing the   
small object, he shook his head in confusion. The box was his.   
  
But the label hadn't been there before.  
  
  
*********************************  
  
17 Avery Dr.  
  
Tommy took a deep breath and tried to relax. But for the first time the   
address printed in the top corner of the Letter was painted before him   
on a small wooden sign, hanging precariously by a thin string nailed   
into the wall. It was his only clue to her whereabouts, all letters she   
sent the group since *the* letter were lacking a return address.  
A nervous hand came up to knock on the door then quickly retreated   
before the act was done.   
  
Idiot, he scolded himself. Give me a two story tall evil monster bent   
on the destruction of humanity and I'll be fine but don't you dare ask   
me to knock on my ex girlfriend's door.  
  
Still, despite the self-lecture, Tommy had trouble finding some inner   
courage.  
  
What would he say if she answered the door? 'Hi, I love you, lets get   
back together' seemed to lack both finesse and sense. And what if *he*   
answered the door? What then? Run away back to reliable ol' Angel   
Grove?   
  
Finally he shoved the questions and doubts away and simply tapped the   
wooden entrance lightly.  
  
"Just a minute!" called a voice from somewhere in the house. A voice   
that did not belong to Kimberly. Moments later the sound of a clinking   
latch could be heard, turning, and then the door peeked open, a   
slightly visible green eye examining him. "Who are ya?"  
  
"Uh, Hi. Name's Tommy Oliver. I'm looking for a Miss Kimberly Hart,   
does she still live here?"  
  
The door swung open and a pretty blonde grinned at him, braces linning   
her teeth. "Lookin' for Kim? Gosh, I wish cute guys would come for me.   
I'm Tiffany, by the way, Tiffany Robins. Why don't ya come on in."  
He followed her a bit reluctantly, glancing around in hopes of catching   
a glimpse of someone or something pink. Tiffany wandered over to a   
kitchen area and offered him a coke. "Kim doesn't live here anymore,"   
she said, slipping a small cracker into her mouth. "She moved into the   
girls' house a few months ago. *But*, we're all gettin' together today.   
You know, one last hurrah before the girls who couldn't cut it are   
shipped back home. You'll probably see her there."  
  
Tommy nodded, feeling both relief and disappointment. The former   
because he had more time to think, plan, and the latter because he had   
more time...to wait.  
  
Tiffany walked over to a mirror, rifling through a bag for a stick of   
mascara. "So, tell me." She began, "Why *are* ya lookin' from Kim.   
Oops, unless its really personal and rude of me to ask."  
  
"Well..um...we're old friends from Angel Grove."  
  
"Angel Grove!" Tiffany lit up like a sparkler on the Fourth of July.  
"Oh wow. We always wanted to meet the mysterious gang Kim had in   
California!" She threw down her make-up and ran over to a stack of   
books in the corner. Picking the one in the middle, she looked up and   
grinned widely. "This is the book of friends. All the girls list some   
special friends, Kim's section is the one with pink background. Back   
when she first came, she couldn't stop talking about ya all. Good thing   
we wrote you down in the book 'cause she finally ran out of words a   
few weeks later."  
  
He shuttered at the thought of what her silence must have meant.   
"Good thing."  
  
"Yeah. So what's your name again, Tommy Oliver...Jason, Billy,   
Zack..Tom...oh." Shock fell over her face and she shut the book,   
letting it fall to her side. "You're *him*."  
  
Him? What did that mean? What had Kim told them, that he was some loser   
of her past? But no, she wouldn't say that. "What do you mean *him*."  
  
"You're the one who broke her heart. She was crushed." Tiffany stood up   
and walked over to the door. "I don't know if I can take you there.   
She...we...maybe you should just leave."  
  
"What the hell?" Tommy almost bit his lip for the rude outburst, but   
quickly decided other things were more important "*She* dumped *me*!"   
He cried, almost shouting, acting irrationally but not caring or able   
to stop it. "I was crushed. I was the one who got the letter, and the   
one who cried, and the one who was replaced by someone in Florida."   
  
"You were dumped?" Tiffany stared at him in disbelief. "Kim was almost   
one of the rejects. We couldn't get her out of bed when you broke her   
heart, and *what* other guy? I've never, since I've known her, seen her   
look at one in a more than friendly way."  
  
Tommy shoved his hand into a pocket and pulled out the Letter, dangling   
it in front of her face. "Look. *This* is what she gave me."   
  
She snatched it away and ran her eyes over the sheet, gasping softly   
the farther down she got. "Oh wow. Kim really meant it when she said   
you didn't do it. I'm sorry, so sorry. We just...I was trying to   
protect her. I didn't know."  
  
He nodded, taking back his paper and folding it carefully back. "Its   
all right. I just want to see her again."  
  
Tiffany nodded, a little shaken. "Yeah, let's go. I'll finish my   
make-up in the car." Grabbing her purse, she quickly danced down the   
stairs, mummbling to herself.  
  
Tommy followed just behind her and sat in the passengers seat of his   
own car.  
  
The moment was fast approaching.  
  
******************  
  
  
The lights were on and people were clearly home. Girls, giggling   
happily, hung from every area of the house. And since they were mostly   
all gymnasts, I mean the *hung* part quite literaly. Tommy narrowly   
missed being kicked in the head by a pair of legs that swung back and   
forth from above the porch. A blonde, standing on her hands, managed to   
wave to him. Tiffany placed herself between them.  
  
"He's Kim's, Judy. Stay back." The girl covered her mouth and winced,   
then walked off while mouthing 'oops'. Tiffany shook her head, pulling   
Tommy into the house.   
  
Many friends greeted her, exchanging hugs and kisses on the cheek.   
There were several inquiries regarding the quiet man behind her, which  
his blonde companion answered with a secretive whisper. Soon a whole   
mob of girls were eyeing him, following him, creating theories on his   
sudden appearance.  
  
None of that phased him. Since the Power changed hands, from one   
generation to the next, the ex-leader of the group known as the Power   
Rangers had become a very one-track kind of thinker; only reclaiming   
his greatest treasure was important. The whole world could've been   
following him and Tommy Oliver wouldn't have noticed it anymore than   
the few specks of dust that collected on his shoes.  
  
Presently, he wrung his wrists nervously, once again trying to write a   
speech in his head, summon the courage he needed to survive the   
encounter.  
  
Kim, I want you back, that's what he'd say. Can't we just start all   
over?   
  
Tiffany's hand stopped his pacing, and she gestured towards a little   
room where yet even more girls sat in a circle. His breath caught when   
he saw a pair of pink and lily white shoes, just barely in sight.  
  
He'd never known if flashbacks were real, but just then he had his   
answer. The world around him shifted, back in time and across the   
country...  
  
Kimberly hung off his arm, her eyes closed as he led her down the   
street. It was a little windy and it was his jacket draped around her   
shoulders, keeping her small body warm. Her head was resting on him,   
and the smell of her strawberries and cream shampoo seemed to float up   
to his nose.  
  
"You think Zed'll attack today, Tommy?" she asked, and he spied her   
free hand fingering the special watch on his arm.  
  
"No, not today," came his reply. He bent down to capture her lips for   
one kiss. "Your birthday is too important a day for even him to try and   
ruin."  
  
She smiled and opened her eyes. "I love you Tommy."  
  
"I love you too, Kim."   
  
"Oh. My. Gosh. Look at those shoes!" She pried herself away and glued   
her body to the Macy's window. He stood behind her, a grin on his lips.   
Some people, those who didn't really know her, had called her vain and   
materialistic in the past. Her ardent love for fashion in the pinkish   
direction was well known. But she ran so much deeper than her   
superficial behavior sometimes led others to believe. So much deeper   
that Tommy oftened allowed her to indulge, spending his hard-earned   
cash on items like the shoes in the window. He led her inside the   
store.  
  
If might've seemed like he was buying her love, but nothing could be   
farther from the truth. The gifts, though nice, were generally matched   
by something equally expensive, a motor for his car (constantly in   
progress), a box of german chocolates, imported (so he had a sweet   
tooth), etc.   
  
The best thing they ever shared was love. It perfect, in every sense of   
the word...  
  
"Hello? Earth to Tommy?" He shook his head and blinked a few times, the   
vision before him becoming more and more clearer. It was Tiffany,   
rolling her eyes. "Geez, you blacked-out on me. While you were   
daydreamin', Kim left. I didn't get a chance to tell her about you."  
  
Kim was gone? Yet another chance has slipped through his greasy   
fingers. "Do you know where she's going?"  
  
"Yeah. She and a friend were going out to dinner at Chef's. It a block   
away from here, north."  
  
He turned.  
  
"Hey Tommy? He's just a friend, remember that." Tiffany threw something   
at him and he caught it without thinking.  
  
******************  
  
Friend he may have been, but it was obvious by his face that the man   
seated across from Kimberly was not interested in only platonic   
relations. His eyes, dark blue, roamed over her with a hunger that   
Tommy knew all too well. How many times had his own gaze traveled   
across her body, his heart yearning to hold her tigher, closer.   
Unfortunately, he couldn't see her own face, just the brown-blonde (she   
*dyed* it?) hair, long white coat, and the pair of shoes.   
  
Sinkng into a chair, Tommy sighed. Marching up to them and insisting   
she take him back was out of the question. Somehow, acting like a crazy   
person didn't seem the best approach. But oh, how'd he love to smack   
Blue-eyes in the face with the bottle of wine he kept pouring from.  
  
A tall, slender waiter placed a menu on his table. "Sir can I offer you   
something to drink? Coffee perhaps?"  
  
"Huh? Oh, sure." Tommy emptied into his pockets, making sure he'd   
brought a credit card with him. Glancing at the waiter, he found him   
staring at something on the table.  
  
"Excuse me sir," the waiter asked. "But is that the pink Power Ranger   
with you? That's amazing."  
  
Tommy followed his gaze to where it rested, on the paper that Tiffany   
had tossed him on his way out. It was a picture, one taken by Billy   
during his photography phase. He, dressed in plain clothes, had just   
arrived on the scene of a battle and managed to catch Kimberly, thrown   
the by the monster in his direction. Her face and body, hidden by the   
pink suit, lay in his arms.   
  
He knew that picture, it'd been in the front of his photo album until   
one of Aisha's baby sitting charges got a hold of it and scattered his   
memories, by accident of course, all over Angel Grove. His finger ran   
over it. How had it ended up in Tiffany's hands, of all people?  
  
After a minute of staring in silent shock, Tommy realized the waiter   
was still at the table, awestruck. Answering the now old question,   
Tommy smiled. "Yes, she saved my life that day. This picture is a thank   
you."  
  
The waiter nodded enthusiastically. "I've heard, sir, that the Power   
Rangers are very nice aliens. Sign autographs and everything."  
  
The ex-Ranger raised an eyebrow. "Really? Um, have you ever met one? In   
person?" Wiping his hands in the rag flung over his belt, the waiter   
grinned. He offered a dry hand to shake and a seat to himself, dragging   
a chair to the table.  
  
"I'm Paulo. And no, not I. But, but my sister met a lady at the   
hairdresser whose son went to school with someone who was saved by   
them. So you see, I have firsthand experience."  
  
"I'm Tommy Oliver and that's remarkable. And they said they were   
aliens?"  
  
Paulo grabbed a bottle of wine and poured himself a glass. "Well, no.   
But, be serious. Where else could these people have found their power,   
if not in an exterrestrial birthright?"  
  
Tommy shrugged. "I dunno, what if a powerful, wise being just selected   
a group of regular teens to save the world from the age of old threat   
of evil?"  
  
"Ha. Imagine that, the Power Rangers being children? No, they are much   
too strong. Aliens, thats what they are."  
  
"Oh, aliens."  
  
"Without a doubt."  
  
The pink-shoed foot shifted and the conversation followed. "Tell me   
Paulo, are you married?"  
  
The waiter pulled out a wallet sized photo album from his shirt, as   
though it were a pistol and he, in the middle of a duel. Dozens of   
small faces stared back at Tommy. "I am. My wife Rosie and I have six   
children and one on the way."   
  
"That's wonderful." He pictured himself in a few years, happily sharing   
his own family with random strangers. What a soothing replacement Kim's   
picture would make for the letter that currently burned in his shirt   
pocket. And children, innocent and darling, his very own children. A   
few years ago, that would've sounded so corny. Funny how things change   
when you grow up.  
  
"Ah," Paulo said. "You have the look of one who loves."  
  
"What does that look like."  
  
Paulo folded the pictues back up. "Bliss. Is your angel meeting you   
here?"  
  
"She's here, but not for me. With a friend, they say."  
  
"But you do not believe it?"  
  
"We broke up a while ago. She probably moved on, but I have to at least   
try to win her back. I have to tell you, Paulo, I don't think she   
reciprocates my feelings anymore."  
  
The waiter stood and brushed the wrinkles on his uniform. "Thomas, if   
you honestly thought that, you would not be here. I shall bring you   
your drink now, very well?"  
  
"Yes, thank you." Tommy wasn't sure, but he seemed to be thanking Paulo   
for something other than the drink. A newfound confidence, perhaps.   
Someday, he would have that album to show strangers on the street. The   
thought sent his mind back to the photo at the table.  
  
It's been lost on the other side of the country, but here it was, in   
front of him. Granted stranger things *had* happened. But what about   
the label on the box. That too had seemed a miracle of some sort.  
He folded his arms and wondered.  
  
He was there to win back Kimberly Hart.  
  
But was someone helping him?  
  
  
  
  
Gasp! Is someone assisting to our former hero (Or, arguably, our   
current hero since he is the protagonist of the story)? Will he ever   
actually speak with Kimberly? And just who is this friend she's dining   
with? Your answers will be answered in the next exciting chapter of   
Flying Home. Same Ranger channel, same Ranger time. Tootles!  
  
Puleaze review! Pleeeaaaaaaze? ^_^ : 


	2. Part Two

Hiya all! I'm baack. Sorry this took so long, I'm currently writing   
three very different stories all at the same time. A SM comedy romance,   
a Star Wars angsty Obidala thing, and this. But its here, and the next   
chapter will be more prompt. Thank you sooooo much for all the reviews.   
Of my three fics, this one got the most and best reaction. Tee Hee ^_^  
As always, please review, either at fanfiction.net or   
Eileenblzr@yahoo.com. I eagerly await your opinion. And I'll tell you   
what. If this chapter beats the other chapter's number of reviews by   
Wed, I'll put the next one out on Thursday. That means at least   
fourteen replies in three days, or wait until sunday...please? Bye now!  
  
  
Flying Home  
  
Part Two  
  
Kimberly was sitting on the chair of his home when he walked in, her   
long brown hair tied up in a twisted knot, her arms holding a small   
bundle. She didn't look up, just continued with a lullaby. Tommy came   
up behind her and kneeled at the back of the chair. He rested his head   
and listened to the sound of her voice, soft and melodious, as she   
gently cradled the baby.  
  
"Hey Handsome," she said when the baby had fallen asleep. "Hard day at   
work?"  
  
"No." Tommy pulled out two bouquets from nowhere, one overflowing with   
roses and wildflowers, the other a miniature version. "But I did buy   
these for you and Lexi."  
  
"Oh Tommy! They're beautiful!" He stood up and kissed her one forehead.  
  
"You too."  
  
"Uh...Thomas, are you well?" That didn't sound right, Kim never called   
him Thomas. Nor did she have a slight accent. Tommy blinked and when he   
eyes reopened, Paulo was standing at the table, smiling in an   
understanding sort of way.  
  
"Yeah," He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm fine."  
  
"That's good to hear. But uh, I thought you might like to know I found   
the lady you wished to see. She and her gentlemen friend just paid   
their check. I must say, they did seem *just* friends."  
  
Tommy nodded and took his own bill from Paulo's hands. "Maybe you're   
not seeing him through the right eyes. To you, he's a customer. For me,   
he's a rival."  
  
The waiter shrugged. "Perhaps. Just be sure you know what you're   
seeing." Tommy smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.  
  
"You've been a great help to me. Maybe someday you're family and mine   
can have dinner together."  
  
"I would very much like that. But now, you'll lose her if you do not   
hurry."  
  
Tommy was already out the door.  
  
*************  
  
  
He scanned the dark streets, looking for any sign of Kim. To his   
eternal aggravation, car after car zoomed past, keeping his from having   
a clear view. But then, suddenly, words caught his attention. He   
followed them to where Blue-eyes was helping Kim into a taxi.  
  
"We'll stop at your place." He was saying. "And we'll pick up a few   
neccessities. Maybe a toothbrush for you." Tommy winced at that, then   
again at the playful slap she gave him in response. "Then we will   
continue our great voyage to my place where we can finish our great   
evening." Blue-eyes' head dissapeared into the taxi and the orange   
vehicle pulled away.  
  
He knew it. *Friend*, they'd all said. What the hell kind of friend   
takes you to his house and suggests your bring along a toothbrush? All   
of a sudden, Tommy's knees felt like two tigs trying to support a lead   
statue. Reaching out for anything that could hold his weight, his hands   
found a phonebook.  
  
And then something really unusual happened.  
  
Tommy cried.  
  
There were very few things that could bring him tears. Sad movies,   
however moving, never led to the slightest moisture around his brown   
eyes. He knew only a select few (his fellow ex-rangers, some family),   
whose death would have such a dramatic effect, but thankfully, none had   
ever died. In fact, the only other time he'd wept so freely was after   
the Letter had arrived. So long after, there he was, back with the   
pain, drowning in his own sorrow.  
  
Kim was past him, no matter what others believed. She had obviously   
found someone else, a better life, a new path, attitude, way of living.   
The special sparkle she used to save for his smiles was no doubt shared   
with Blue-eyes even as the ex-ranger cried. His Kim, his beautiful, was   
someone else's, would continue to be someone else's.   
  
He, Tommy Oliver, was nothing but an old friend, a name in a book no   
longer looked at, a *brother* who never quite understood.   
  
Had she really meant that? Tommy had always assumed it was something   
said in a desperate, crazy moment. But what if all he was to her was an   
older brother, someone to protect her and love her, but not *love* her.  
And how could she have said that at all? After all the kisses and the   
whispers and the longing and the damn plans that would never be   
realized now that she was with Blue-eyes.  
  
As he wiped his eyes, Tommy thought bitterly that he'd have to make   
sure Paulo didn't wait for that invitation. There would never be a   
happy Oliver family, a wife and kids to bounce off his knee. He'd never   
be a Paulo, who showed off his family and loved his wife and...  
had known who Kimberly was without having heard a description.  
  
The ex-Ranger frowned. Another mysterious piece in the jigsaw puzzle of   
his life. Glancing up at the sky, he shouted "You're too late! She's   
with somebody else!"  
  
But the sky offered no reaction, nor did it do anything to assuage his   
aching heart. If he had ever been flying, he was now nose-diving   
straight to hell, bumps and head bangs included.   
  
"Um, excuse me." A lady stood beside him, dressed too well to be   
standing on the corner, in front of a somewhat chintzy restaurant,   
talking to the possibly insane man that Tommy was feeling like. She was   
there, nonetheless, and trying to speak with him. "Excuse me," she   
repeated. With the energy of a slug that's just taken sleeping pills,   
he met her gaze.  
  
She had pretty eyes, two swirling pools of gray, and a slender figure   
wrapped up in a sleek, smooth beige chiffon number, her black curly   
hair partly hidden by a fashionable hat. Somewhere, in the back of his   
mind, it occurred to Tommy that he should have found her attractive.   
This lady was what Rocky liked to call a 'perfect catch', in the former   
red Ranger's words "Heaven's way of making up for all the monsters we   
have to look at". But Tommy could muster no such interest.  
  
She sort of laughed, a light jingling sound that suited her. "This   
phone book is missing the page I need. Can I borrow the one behind   
you?" The ex-Ranger scooted out of the way, wondering at the likihood   
that of all the pages there, she would need the one that wasn't.  
  
The lady pulled out a cellphone and the dialed a number, then whispered   
something into it. Moments later, the phone returned to her purse and   
she looked back at Tommy. "Hi," she said. "I'm Karen."  
  
"Tommy."  
  
"Its cold out here, isn't it? I didn't expect to be out here, but I   
canceled my plans rather unexpectantly. I'm waiting for my ride."  
  
Still the gentleman, Tommy removed his coat and offered it to her. She   
accepted it with gratitude. "Um...I don't mean to be nosy or rude, but   
are you all right?" Evidently, the tears had yet to dry.  
  
"I'm fine." He lied, and she quickly realized that.  
  
"Riiight. Let me take a wild guess. You're girl took up with another   
guy."  
  
Was it smart to tell a stranger the story? Whether or not it was, Tommy   
told her everything, about the Letter, the trip to Florida, the mission   
to win back Kim, the mysterious things that kept happening along the   
way. By the time he was finished, her eyes were alight with excitement.  
  
"You've got to be kidding!" She cried, "the same thing is happening to   
me! I wanted to win back my boyfriend, Everett. He moved to Florida to   
take over the family business after his grandpa died. We broke up a few   
weeks later cause he decided a long distance relationship wouldn't work   
out and he didn't want to hurt me. But then I figured that if I love   
him, I should convince him that it will work, no matter where we are.   
Hell, I'd move to Florida if it means having Everett. And the weirdest   
things have shown up. Like twowo days ago I found the ring he gave me   
the first time he proposed, when we were both six and wanted our very   
own chocolate fudge wedding cake." The former Ranger was at her side   
now, more than interested.  
  
"So why are you here, alone?" He asked.  
  
It was the wrong question; her face crumbled like a soft cookie. "I was   
going to talk to him here, but he was dining with a very beautiful   
girl, all curves and a shiny blond hair. They left together. I guess   
its really over now."  
  
"What do you mean its over?" He said, "Just because someone else wants   
him too? If you love him like you say you do, then fight for him. Make   
him see that you're the only one who he needs." As the words left his   
mouth, Tommy left himself enlightened. Who did care if someone else   
wanted his Kim? He would follow his own advice and win her back!  
  
Karen bit her lip. "But she's sooo pretty. Why would he ever even look   
twice at me again?"  
  
Tommy nudged her. "Come on, Karen. There's more to people than looks.   
If Everett sends you away 'cause of that, he's not worth it."  
  
"I guess."  
  
"And for what its worth, you're gorgeous. If I wasn't already madly,   
passionately, completely in love with Kimberly Ann Hart, I think I'd   
like you. And, if it doesn't work out, look me up under Oliver. I know   
a ridiculously large number of single guys who'd love a chance with   
you."  
  
She laughed. "I'll keep that mind, but lets hope it doesn't come to   
that." A black car pulled up to the side of the curb and she rose.   
"Thats my ride."  
  
He waved. "Have a nice night."  
  
"You too." Karen glanced at the cab then at Tommy. "Hey, do you want a   
ride?"  
  
"Nah. I think I have to reorganize my plan a little. The fresh air will   
help."  
  
"Are you sure?" She lifted up the phonebook, still in her hands.   
"Because she's listed and its on the way..."  
  
There were times when the female mind worked a whole lot better. "I'd   
love one, thanks." They climbed into the car.  
  
  
******  
  
The driver was a bald man Karen called Uncle Tate, her only relative in   
Florida. He grinned as they got inside.  
  
"That your young man?" Tate asked.  
  
"No, just someone in the same situation. We're giving him a ride to his   
girl's place, that all right?" Karen answered.  
  
"Yup. Just tell me where to turn."  
  
"Nineteen Street, number 984, thank you sir. So, Karen," Tommy   
inquired. "Why the dress?"  
  
She blushed. "It was his favorite. I thought it might remind him."  
  
"Its nice."  
  
"You're too kind. Since we're old friends now, may I ask how long its   
been?"  
  
"A little over a year. You?"  
  
"Six months. Approximately. Anyone since?"  
  
"Two, one mistake, one mislead friend. What about you?"  
  
"A boxer named Jake. A mistake and a friend all in one."  
  
"What are you kids playing?" Tate called out. "Twenty questions?"  
They all laughed. When the moment had passed, they were at the   
building.  
  
Tommy opened the door, but Karen's hand pulled him back. "I've been   
meaning to ask...you do think this time we were each others mysterious   
hint?"  
  
He thought about it. "I guess we were. You've been my favorite so far."  
  
"Thank you. And listen, if you ever need a friend, its Karen Jennifer   
O'neal of Michigan."  
  
"Bye Karen. Good luck."  
  
"Good luck to you too." Moments later her black car sped away. Tommy   
turned at looked at the building before him.  
  
********************************  
  
"984." A smile graced his lips as he saw the door before him, a gateway   
into his new life. A part of him was worried, afraid she was with   
Blue-eyes after all, the most likely situation. But regardless, he'd   
wait for her. And Most of him was just on a high, thrilled to be   
re-entering Kimberly's world.   
  
He knocked twice, with confidence but not too loud. As he tapped his   
foot, waiting, someone came up beside him and tapped him on the   
shoulder. Tommy spun around, thoroughly surprised. He never expected to   
see *her* standing *there*, *now*. The shock scared away his words, and   
his mouth slid open. Finally, sense began shaking him out of his stupor   
and he almost smiled at the lovely, familiar girl standing before him.  
  
"Hello Kat."  
  
  
  
  
*gasp*. Another part is over. Dun Dun Dun....Still no Kimberly! Will he   
ever find her? Was she really with Blue-eyes? And is there any chance   
that Tommy can win her back? What is Kat doing there? Who is helping   
couples get back together all over Florida. Stay tuned for the next   
exciting part of Flying Home. Same Ranger time, Same Ranger Channel... 


	3. Part Three

"Um..." Eileen Blazer meekly places her head back in the room, her   
bottom lip bitten in worry. "Hi?" She is, dear reader, oh so very   
sorry for the very   
looooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooong   
delay in this chapter (though the people reading the Greatest Force had   
it much worse, I assure you). ANYwayz, if you came back, thank you, so   
much. Your reviews were the matches that lighted the flames of   
inspiration for this story. I ask of you this kindness yet again,   
please review. I'm at Eileenblzr@yahoo.com, or just review at ffnet  
  
  
"Hello Kat"...  
  
  
Part Three  
  
The tall blonde smiled with shared surprise. "Hello Tommy." Then she   
reached to shake his hand, quickly changed her mind, and replaced it   
with a hug. "I can't believe you're here." Kat muttered, her voice rich   
with disbelief.  
  
Tommy grinned but silently wondered at her presence in Florida. Was she   
already visiting Kim? That would make things considerably more awkward.   
Still, it was always nice to run into one of the Rangers. "Its good to   
see you Kat."  
  
"You too." Her hands started to loosen and they were just about to pull   
out of the embrace, when the door opened and Kimberly Hart's eyes fell   
upon her ex-beau and replacement, locked in each other's arms.  
  
"Tommy," She whispered, a circle of emotions passing through her face:   
shock, delight, embarassment, something akin to sorrow, and then shock   
again. The door swung wide behind her, and she grinned ear to ear.   
"Tommy! Kat! Come in!" Kim led them through a hall way. "I can't   
believe you came all this way to see me." She stopped and gasped.   
"You're getting married, aren't you!"  
  
Both Tommy and Kat protested violently, but Kim raised a hand to hush   
them. "It's all right. I know that you guys became a couple, and there   
are no hard feelings. I'm happy that you're happy."   
  
The Ex-White Ranger sighed, feeling a headache approach. This wasn't   
how the meeting was supposed to go. Kimberly should be wrapped in his   
arms, declaring her love for him, not celebratng his relationship with   
Kat. He glanced at Kat with a touch of resentment before scolding   
himself.  
  
You should have set her straight when she first answered the door,   
Tommy, he thought, then we wouldn't be having this problem. How hard   
was it so say no, I'm not dating Kat anymore. I'm here to sweep you off   
your feet and make you forget all about that other guy...but hey...what   
ever happened to Blue-eyes and a tooth brush?  
  
His answer came seconds later. Kim had guests gathered around the   
living room, two men and another girl. One man was Blue-eyes himself,   
all handshakes and over dramatic winks. His left arm wound around the   
girl, a petite blonde wearing a white dress and...   
  
"Those are Kim's shoes!"  
  
The girl laughed at Tommy's odd outburst. "Kim let me borrow them." She   
explained. "They're the only thing I could find matched the style of   
this dress. I'm June, by the way."  
  
Tommy could've smacked himself upside the head for following the wrong   
girl. Stalking, some would call it. And how would Kim take that: he   
loved her so much he couldn't even *recognize* her. That sure spelled   
happiness for their future. "Tommy." What qualities were it that had   
ever placed him leader of superheros?   
  
The other guy was a short, lean, black-haired man, wearing brown slacks   
and a loose green shirt. He raised himself and came over to greet the   
newcomers. Tommy scanned him for possible competition. Until that is,   
he noticed the way the man's eyes glazed over Kat and came to rest on   
him.  
  
It was the same the look that he'd seen so many times in young teenage   
girl's eyes, whenever he pulled them from danger or won a match. The   
same quiet sigh Adam or Jason gave when a pretty girl with shiny hair   
walked past them.  
  
Oh.  
  
So *that's* why everyone brushed off Kim's time with him as pure   
friendship. Were they giving out awards for stupidest man alive or   
farthest leap to a wrong conclusion? Tommy Oliver was sure to be in the  
running for both, if not the guaranteed winner.   
  
"So Tommy," Kimberly said as she sat on the edge of a loveseat,   
gesturing for them to do the same. "What does bring you two here? A   
romantic getaway for two? Happy news?"  
  
Kat blushed furiously at the guess, throwing Tommy a desperate glance.   
Someone had to explain! "Well, um,...." Why was it so hard to say!  
  
"Let me guess...you're moving in together...in Florida! That is so   
cool." June's mouth kept moving after those words, but the sound seemed   
to vanish before they hit Tommy's ear. His eyes, meanwhile, were too   
busy watching the grin on Kimberly's face alternate between a genuine   
smile and a generic curve of the lips, the kind of smile a cashier   
gives the customer who jumps in line with a cartful of baggage the   
second before he was going to close the register and go home.   
She was sad to hear suggestions about him and Kat, wasn't she?  
  
"Actually," Kat interjected, ready to take things into her own hands.   
"You there's been a slight misunderstanding. Tommy and I, well, we're   
not the happy couple you think we are."  
  
"Oh." June gapsed, emabarassed for her assumption but eager to jump   
right into another. "You're here to make-up, that is *so* sweet." She   
punched Blue-eyes. "Why don't you ever fly me across the country when   
you wanna make-up. All I get is a few flowers and a puppy dog face."  
  
"We're not-"  
  
"We are you staying?" Kim questioned, suddenly, changing the subject.   
  
"I'm at the Mayflower Motel," Kat answered.  
  
"Hmmm. Greg," Blue-eyes looked at her. "Can you give them a lift to   
pick up their stuff?" Kimberly put her arm on Kat's shoulder. "You guys   
have to stay here. We have tons of room."  
  
**************  
  
  
"Twinkle, twinkle, in the sky, why can't I just lay down and die."   
Tommy's own rendition of the beloved chidren's song earned him a jab in   
the ribs from Kat, who was in no mood for his sulking. She was much too   
busy with her own.  
  
"You should have just told her," the blonde whispered, "Now, its going   
to get all awkward and messy."  
  
"You could have told her too."  
  
"I tried! That's more than you did."  
  
"So," Greg called to them from the front seat, "are you two turtledoves   
comfortable?"  
  
Kat giggled loudly, obviously not that giddy at all. "Really, Greg, one   
of us could have sat in the front seat."  
  
"I wouldn't dream of it. People in love should be near each other as   
often as possible. And don't think I can't hear you whispering sweet   
nothings as I drive."  
  
"Riiiiiight," Kat collapsed back onto the seat, her shoulders slumped.   
"Now, great leader, get us out of this."  
  
But Tommy couldn't see a way through the black fog of his own design.   
Where, oh where, was that mystical, magical helper now?  
Where, when he really needed it.  
  
No one talked after that. Tommy remained silent because he had found it   
was much easier to insult himself and sing deranged, morbid songs   
inside his head. Kat was trying to think of a plan. And Greg, the   
happy-go-lucky driver was trying to give the kids in the backseat a   
little privacy.  
  
Finally, after what felt like years, the car pulled up in front of the   
motel. Everyone got off to help Kat with her belongings. They piled in   
and drove back to the apartment.  
  
Well, that was the intention anyway. Halfway to the house, a tire went   
flat and the damaged car was pulled over to the side. Greg, devasted to   
his see his darling damaged, knelt by the tire and carressed it with   
his hand. "Someone..." his voice was oldly strangled. "Someone call   
AAA. Its an emergency."  
  
With a raised eyebrow, Kat got her phone and dialed the number. "Help   
is on the way," she called out after a moment, sliding the cell shut.   
  
Tommy Oliver looked at the street, thought of Kimberly, and then of   
waiting for help alongside Kat and a stricken Greg. "I think I'll walk   
back to the apartment. I need air anyway."  
  
No one objected. He set out, and slowly his figure diminished, until   
the last visible part of him vanished down the road. Only when they   
were completely alone, did the blone man reach forward and pull   
something from the torn rubber of his tire. He held the object up, and   
it glittered in the moonlight.  
  
"Look at this," he murmurred. Kat bent down and then almost laughed,   
snatching it from his hands.  
  
"That's impossible," she declared. She though back to her last days   
with the Rangers, and how sad it had been to look upon the original   
suits through glass walls. All of them hung perfectly, and   
communitators had been suspended by an unseen force. All were shiny and   
color as ever, though one had been missing a small chip.  
  
"How ever in the world did a shard of Kimberly's old commu -er, watch,   
end up on a street in Florida?"  
  
*****************  
  
Tommy regreted walking, as he stared at the street signs and realized   
he wasn't sure how to get back. A map of the city, his faithful guide   
before, had been left in the motel room, underneath his suitcase. A   
whole lot of good it did him there.  
  
Maybe it was all for the best. Nothing had gone according to plan.   
Kimberly had been there, before him, her fair face only an arm's length   
away, and he hadn't so much as hugged her. His worst fears had been   
confirmed after all. She may not be in love with anyone else, but he   
would never find the courage it took to tell her how he felt.  
  
He began wandering aimlessly, ignoring directions and signs and   
anything with words at all. What did it matter where he went? It was   
impossible to find the one path that he led him to one place he wanted   
to be.  
  
Someone, he knew, once wrote that all who wander are not lost. True   
that may be, but it couldn't have applied to him. He was hopelessly   
stranded in the middle of the nowhere, at the juncture of Heartbreak   
Hotel and that fateful Kingdom by the Sea, like a hamster running with   
all his strength to the end of the cycle, an end that just *didn't   
exist*.  
  
"Weary is the mind of he who searches for the past." Tommy said aloud.   
"And heavy hangs his tired heart, so empty, so vast." His arms clung to   
a streetlight for support, as his dreams danced off into the stars.  
  
"Tommy, is that you?" He was stopped short by the one sound that could   
save him. Twirling around, he was face to face with Kimberly Ann Heart   
again. Hope welled in chest yet again.  
  
He was with her. Alone with her. Free from distractions, and   
friends...and fears.  
  
"Tommy, are you all right?"  
  
Yes, I'm fine, he could say.  
  
"Tommy?"  
  
There's something I need to tell you.  
  
She stepped up and placed a worried hand on his shoulders. It sent   
shivers down his spine. "Tommy, who were you talking to?"  
  
It didn't matter, he could say.  
  
He caught her hand and pulled her closer, crushing her against his   
chest. His head dipped down and he kissed her, drowning away his   
worries in the taste of her hips on his.   
  
I love you, he could say.  
  
***********  
  
Bwahahahahaha! No, its not finished just yet. There is one more chapter   
to go! But this is out. Bwahahahahahha! Finally, he's found her, he's   
gained the courage, and they are together. But when the moment passes,   
what will befall our couple? Will Kimberly accept him back into her   
life? Will Tommy discover his mysterious helper? Will AAA ever show up   
for Kat and Greg? Will they all live happily ever after? Find out all   
your answers and more, in the next exciting chapter of...  
  
Flying Home!  
Same Ranger channel, same Ranger time. 


	4. Part Four

Hurrah!!!!! The final, yes you heard right, the final part of Flying   
Home. Yayyy!!!!!! (Now if only I could get the readers as excited...)  
  
  
  
Part Four  
  
It seemed to Tommy that the world had been hazy, and the urgency   
strong, and the emotion nearly overpowering, for an entire lifetime.   
But in reality, only seconds had passed from the moment that he brought   
Kimberly close to him and the painful instant when they parted and Kim   
took a step back, placing herself just out of reach.   
  
She stood feet away, eyes glowing with shock, her breath, like his own,   
ragged. Her hand came up to cup her mouth as she stared at him.   
"How...why...if..." Her words came and stopped, before any rational   
thought could make itself known. Finally, Kim dropped her hand, her   
gaze, and spoke to the street. "Why did you do that." Her tone was   
harsh, it stomped on Tommy's hope like a spoiled child denied a new   
toy. "You have a girlfriend."  
  
Girlfriend? Oh, Kat. Tommy winced as he fell deeper into his self made   
pit of horrors. But it wasn't too late to climb back up -if she was   
willing to throw the rope down. "Kim, there's something I have to tell   
you."  
  
"Like what, Thomas, you've taken to kissing girls while Kat's away? Or,   
you know, stranded on the street."  
  
"I left her with Greg. She wasn't alone." He shut his eyes tight, and   
realized he could have answered that better. A slight slap on the face   
confirmed his fear. It didn't sting so much as hurt his already aching   
heart.  
  
"How could you kiss me when you're with Kat? The Tommy I knew would   
never be so unfaithful." He heard the inflection in her voice change,   
an accusation buried deep. "You didn't...?"  
  
"No!" Tommy cried. "Of course I never kissed another girl while I was   
with you, Kim, I didn't even look at other girls."  
  
She rolled her eyes, as if in disbelief. "Yeah, Tommy, you only had   
eyes for me."   
  
"Yes!" He insisted, grabbing her arms and forcing her to look at him.   
"I love you and no one else mattered."  
  
His confession swept between them. A moment passed by, and streched and   
yawned for an eternity. Finally, she shifted uncomfortably and he   
loosened the tight grip on her forearms. "You mean loved, Tom. Past   
tense. You love Kat now, remember?"  
  
Remember? Of course he couldn't, he had never loved Kat. Not when she   
first batted her eyelashes to hide a gleam of evil, or donned the pink   
suit that was meant for another, even when she sat reclined in his arms  
he hadn't felt anything. How could he have? His heart was empty and   
vacant, and insanely lonesome without its better half. Without Kim.  
  
"Kimber-," he started to say in the gentlest voice his jumbled mind   
could muster, but she stopped him.  
  
"You can't do this Tommy. You can't make up your mind and then change   
it again. Not with something like this."  
  
"When have I ever made a choice about us?" Tommy asked. But she was   
already running away from him, the dead silence of night offering no   
competition with the clinking of her shoes against the solid concerete   
sidewalk. He listened to the rhythm, long after the sound ceased to   
exist, until it beat in tempo with his own heart, and he slid down a   
streetlight, 'til his knees were pulled up tight, like a child, and his   
head rested against them.  
  
What was going on? Were they all on the emotional roller coaster from   
hell? Why was Kim running away and for goodness sakes, how had he ended   
up meeting her on the street anyway?  
  
Chalk it up to fate, Tommy told himself. And get used to the idea of   
being alone.  
  
**************  
  
  
Kat knocked on the door timidly, wondering what had happened to Tommy   
and Kimberly in the wee hours of the night. Perhaps they'd resolved all   
their differences, and were presently wrapped in each other's arms,   
maybe they were still talking. Whatever the case, she wasn't eager to   
disturb them, but her purse and all her money was somewhere in the   
apartment. She rapped lightly on the door.  
  
"Hello? Is anyone home, its Katherine."  
  
"June's alseep. I'll open the door." Kat turned to see Kimberly sitting   
cross-legged on the floor, a coat draped around her shoulders. She rose   
up and reached into a pocket.  
  
"Have you heard from Tommy?" The blonde hated to ask, but it was   
becoming obvious that he wasn't around.  
  
Kimberly looked at her as though she had a secret that desperatly   
needed telling, but she bit her lip and faced the door. It welcomed   
them with a gush of warm air. "Ugh. June left the heater on again."  
  
They walked inside, to the kitchen, and the taller girl grew worried, a   
frown settling itself on her brow.   
  
"Kim, are you all right? Did you talk to Tommy? I thought he was   
walking this wa-"  
  
"I talked to him. We ran into each other on the street." Kimberly Hart   
cut her off, lifted an empty mug, and sighed. "Want some coffee? I   
don't usually drink it, but I'm in purgatory right now, halfway between   
sleep and awake."   
  
The second Pink Ranger finally got the message. Whatever had happened   
between them hadn't ended well. "Do you want to talk about it?"  
  
"The coffee? Its not that interesting, StarBucks special blend, we have   
cinnamon hazlenut creamer, and I think-"  
  
"Kim," Kat said softly. "I meant about Tommy."  
  
"I know." Her response came as a whisper, a hushed acknowledgement as   
she plopped down on a stool and gestured to her friend to do the same.  
She braced her legs on the stool seat, and leaned far back so that she   
saw only the speckled white ceiling. "You're happy, aren't you?"  
  
Kat raised an eyebrow. That was unexpected. "Yes, I suppose so."  
  
Kimberly nodded. "I wanted you to be. You both deserved to be."   
  
Deserved to be? What did that mean? "Who, exactly, is you both?"  
  
But Kimberly just shrugged and stood up. "I'm truly glad for you, Kat.   
Despite everything. You can put your stuff in the room next to mine.   
I'll see you in a few hours." And she slipped away into the hall.  
  
Kat sighed deeply and followed suit. Things were confusing, and   
complicated, and none of them might ever see clear daylight again.  
  
A window was left open, and the kitchen stood empty, lonely and cold.  
  
*************  
  
  
"Okay, new plan." Tommy stared at his suitcase and its contents.  
"But the first plane ticket to Walanakaria and never look back." It   
wasn't such a crazy idea. Heck, he'd always wanted to learn a new   
language! This was a golden opportunity. It was his big chance.  
  
He fished out a pair of casual blue jeans, white t-shirt, and an well   
worn brown coat. A simple outfit for simpler times ahead.  
  
A clean break, that's what he needed.  
  
A fresh start.  
  
A new beginning.  
  
A new beginning, a reason for living, a deeper meaning...those   
werelyrics to Kim's favorite song! He knuckles turned white as he   
clutched the shirt in his hand, wringing it.  
  
What was he thinking? This was practical at all. He had to resolve   
things with Kim. With forced movement, Tommy pulled another outfit from   
the travel bag.  
  
A pair of black slacks, a crisp, white, collared, long-sleeve shirt,   
and a longer jacket came out. Its pocket poofed out a bit, around the   
tiny box inside of it. The proposal outfit. Tommy sighed as he   
remembered how the scene had worked so well in his mind. She'd fallen   
into his arms, he'd given her the ring, and hand in hand they rode off   
into the sunset.  
  
Only none of that had happened. But did that mean he had to abandon   
what little was left? They could be friends. Sure, why not. They had a   
lot of stuff in common. Shared a similar sense of humor.   
  
Friends, lovers, wasn't it really all the same? That, and if he didn't   
work it out with her, when their friends found out, they would probably   
embark on some noble, well-meaning but poorly concieved journey to get   
them back together.  
  
And if there was one thing the Power Ranger team had struggled with, it   
was getting people together. He didn't even want to think about the   
Mary-George incident. Or the Janey-Bob misshap. Especially not the  
Karla-Kenny attempt.  
  
He didn't want to think of what would happen if they tried with him and   
Kimberly.   
  
Besides, the Rangers were a team. They would have to stay a team. It   
was fate. Or something like that.  
  
He threw on the blue jeans from one outfit, and the collared shirt from   
the other. His hands hesitated on the jackets. Just then the a crash   
pulled him from the room and out into the hall. He returned moments   
later, shaking his head in confusion.   
  
He could have sworn he heard something break. The brown jacket was   
lifted up onto his shoulder then, and the ex-Ranger took one last deep   
beath before leaving the hotel room.  
  
Twenty minutes later he was at her house once more.   
  
He didn't knock though. Not because he had run away again, or because   
she opened it first. This time, he was drawn to soft sobs drifting out   
of a window. Tommy followed the miserable sound until its source was   
all too clear.  
  
Kimberly was in tears, and instantaneously, he felt that familiar guilt   
bite at his heart. It was his fault she was so sad. If he had never   
come, never kissed her, never met her even, she would have been   
happier.   
  
But slowly, a thought dawned. He couldn't control who he met or how   
he'd feel. It was insane to blame himself for things fate did. Sure, he   
could've handled that scene in the alley a little better...all right, a   
*lot* better. That didn't make him Atlas. That didn't mean he should   
have to bear the weight of both a victim and a villian.   
  
So, yeah, it could be his fault.  
  
Unless...  
  
Unless it wasn't.   
  
He hadn't always been so passive in their relationship. Once upon a   
time, all decisions were mutual. And, if he remembered correctly, those   
were the *happy* times. From from the instant he'd recieved the Letter,   
Tommy had let Kim make the important choices, assuming she knew answers   
to everything. But since then, they'd had more ups and downs than a   
roller coaster at Six Flags.  
  
Realization hit Tommy like a drunk truck driver who hasn't slept in the   
past thiry-seven hours. He never should have accepted the Letter. It   
was a bad choice, a stupid mistake. He should have taken a plane to   
Florida then, insist that she take him back.  
  
Maybe he still could.  
  
With a puff of breath to relieve the tension behind his eyes, Tommy   
marched up to the front and banged loudly on the door.   
  
"Just a minute." Her voice was tired, she was strangling back tears,   
and he had to bury the urge to leave her alone. He knocked louder in   
spite of it.  
  
"Coming!" He heard the latch clink open, and knob began to twist.   
Rather than wait, Tommy pushed it open, sending the girl behind the   
door reeling back. "Hey!"  
  
As Kim regained her balance, her brown eyes were wide with shock. "Tom?   
What are you doing?"  
  
"Something I should have done a long time ago." Without hesitatoin, his   
arms fell upon her and gathered her close to his chest.  
  
"Put me down" she cried, endeavoring to push him away. "I thought I   
told you-" Whatever she was going to say would have to remain unsaid,   
because Tommy was determined that this kiss wasn't going to end like   
the last one.   
  
When it did cease, it was because Tommy pulled back, still clutching   
Kim to him. "I don't care what you told me. This time its my turn to   
choose and I choose this, Kimberly Hart. I choose to love you and I'll   
be damned if anyone, even you, is going to stop me."   
  
Her eyes narrowed. "Really? I think you'll change your mind when your   
girlfriend comes back."  
  
"I don't have a girlfriend Kim, just a crazy lover that has me flying   
across the country to reclaim her."  
  
"But Kat-"  
  
"Is a friend, all right? A friend, nothing more, nothing less."  
  
"How can you say that? I saw how you two acted when I was still in   
Angel Grove. Tom, she watched you like I do. Aisha even told me you   
were dating. Don't deny it now that you're tired of your latest fling."  
  
"Don't deny it? There's nothing for me to deny. Yes, Kat and I dated   
*briefly*. The Rangers were pressuring me to move on, and she was a   
temporary distraction. And so what if she had a crush on me while you   
were around. Do you honestly think I would want someone else when I had   
*you*?"   
  
"You ended up together pretty soon after I left."  
  
He throttled her a little, as if attempting to shake sense into her. "I   
didn't know what I thinking. I was going out of my mind! You had just   
sent me a letter that said I was a brother to you! I don't feel like   
your brother, Kim, do you have any idea how it feels to be called that?   
  
Would a brother make you feel like this?" He captured her lips in a   
kiss again, and noted with satisfaction that there was less resistance.  
  
"No," she murmured into his mouth after a moment. "Its too late. Its   
too late now."  
  
"Late?" he whispered.   
  
"I waited for you to come for weeks. I fell asleep dreaming that you'd   
rush to Florida and be mad with me for ever thinking you could love   
with Kat, and carry me home. And then the other Rangers called and told   
me not to worry because you were moving on. Don't think you broke him,   
Kim, he was a little down at first but he's already getting back up." A   
sob escaped her, and he kissed her forhead.  
  
"Shh. It's okay, you don't have to cry. Listen to me: they were wrong.   
I never got over you. I never stopped loving you."  
  
"But-"  
  
"I love you. As in present tense."  
  
Her brown orbs searched his, deciding how much she could trust him.  
And suddenly she threw herself into his embrace, hugging him like a   
teddy bear, as though she'd seen so much truth in him it hurt. "I love   
you too, Tom." She cried. "I'm sorry I made such a mess of everything   
and I'm sorry I overreacted in the alley and-"  
  
"Hey, even Power Rangers can't always be perfect."  
  
She wiped her eyes and smiled back at him. "Just perfect most of the   
time?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
This time she was the one leaning foward to kiss him. And, oh, what a   
sweet kiss it was, like eating fresh berries in the middle of a sunny   
meadow. Or feeling cool grass between your toes and wind in your hair.  
  
This kiss, this feeling, was bliss.  
  
Tommy broke away in time, practically laughing with joy, and fumbled   
desperately for something in his pocket.  
  
This was it, he just knew it. This was the moment he had traveled   
across the country for. The box had to be there, it just had to.   
  
This was the one-of-a-kind, once-in-a-life-time moment.  
  
Where was that ring?! He'd put it there, in the pocket...of his other   
jacket. He looked up in dissapointment and met Kim's confused eyes.  
  
"Tommy?"  
  
The moment was fading! And the box, the ring...he shoved his hands into   
his coat in frustration.   
  
And thats when he felt the soft velvet brushing against his fingers.  
  
The box was in the coat. The brown, leaving town coat. The wrong coat.   
Mysterious Matchmaker had struck again, it seemed. Tommy fell to his   
knees with a renewed grin, half in prayer, half to complete his plan.  
  
"Kimberly Ann Hart," he gulped. "Will you marry me?  
  
  
Epilogue  
  
  
"This is the biggest turkey I have ever seen," remarked Kimberly Ann   
Oliver, rubbing her protruding stomach. "And this time I can eat as   
much as I want. I am eating for two, you know." The people around her   
laughed.  
  
A tiny girl with black pigtails held up and empty plastic cup. "Escuse   
me," she asked, in a little voice. "Can...can I have more?"  
  
"I'll get that." Tommy lifted the child to his shoulders and carried   
her away, leaving only a trail of fading giggles.  
  
"He's going to be a great father," Said the woman to Kim's left. "As   
good, I think, as my Paulo." The woman's husband grinned.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, enough about Tom. Let's move on to more important matters.   
Like the gravy." Jason poured a glob of the brown sauce onto a waiting   
mashed potato crater. "Whose the culinary genius that made it anyway? I   
think I need to marry her."  
  
"Why Jase," Rocky called, batting his eyelashes and placing both hands   
on his face in mock flirtation. "I never knew you felt that way. But   
Momma always did tell me that her secret recipes would help me catch   
the perfect man."   
  
"Hardy har har. How was I supposed to know that of all the pretty girls   
helping out here, Rocky would be the one to cook the gravy?"  
  
"Well, actually, us guys outnumber them. So the odds that it would be a   
male chef are-"  
  
"Billy, now is not the time for a math lecture." Kat handed him a   
biscuit. "Eat this." Obediently, he took a bite and started chewing,   
laughter in his eyes. She patted his shoulder.  
  
Kim watched the interaction with interest. "Hey, Trini." She slid to   
Tommy's vacant seat and whispered, "Is it just me, or is there   
something between those two?"  
  
The bell chimed then, and Trini scampered off to answer it. She   
reappeared, moments later, with a couple.  
  
"Everett!" Kat jumped up and ran to embrace the slender young   
sandy-haired man. "What are you doing here?" Karen O'neal was the lady   
with him; she stood back, wary.   
  
"You're the one from the restaurant," She mumbled.  
  
Everett caught her hand and gave it a squeeze, as if sensing her   
apprehension. "I didn't know you knew each other."  
  
"I didn't know either," said Kat   
  
"Well now, we'll have to give you an introduction right and proper, I   
suppose. Katherine, this is Karen. She is the love of my otherwise dull   
life. Karen love, this is Kat, my dearest cousin from Australia. But,   
what *are* you doing here, Kat?"  
  
"I asked you the same thing."  
  
"And I shall explain," called Tommy, walking up, speaking with a fake   
accent.   
  
"Tommy!" Karen shook his hand, and handed him the tray of desserts they   
had brought. "How is everything?"  
  
"Wonderful. Everyone! This is Karen and Everett. I met her while on my   
epic quest in Florida. Invite them in, share the wealth, and whatever   
you do, don't let them figure out how crazy we all are."  
  
But Zack was already leading them away, asking questions like "So   
you're Australian, but you spent half your life in Michigan, and then   
took over the family business in Florida? How exactly does that work?   
Are you guys like all over the world..."  
  
Tommy shook his head. "Nevermind." A slim hand reached over his   
shoulder and presented him with a glass half full of wine. He kissed   
its owner on the cheek before jumping up on a chair and commanding the   
guests' attention again.  
  
"Ahem!" He cleared his throat as his eyes surveyed the people there.   
All of the Rangers he'd fought with were there, and Paulo and his huge   
family, and Karen O'neal and her fiance. Life was good.   
  
"A toast. To happiness, future baby Olivers, and...to our mysterious   
matchmaker. Whoever you are."  
  
*****************  
  
  
An older man with blue eyes, graying hair, amd wrinkles around the   
edges of his mouth stepped through a silver door frame and was greeted   
by a crowd of people, all near the same age as he. They watched his   
blank face expectantly, until he opened his mouth to speak.   
  
They all sucked in their breath.   
  
"It worked!" He shouted and a loud cry of joy went up through the room.   
The man clapped another guy, this one with blue-black glasses, on the   
back. "Well Billy. I'd have to say this little time machine of yours is   
just about the greatest thing you've ever created."  
  
Billy blushed. "Thanks Jase."  
  
One of the women laughed in sudden delight. "I can remember!" She   
cried. "Its like someone opened up the floodgates..."  
  
Jase nodded. "Yeah..." He looked up grinning. "Yeah! I was their best   
man!"  
  
"And you spilled wine all over your own fiance." Someone intoned.  
  
"And I helped deliver a pair of twins." Yet another woman remarked,   
shaking her head so that the black strands of her hair swayed. "They   
were the spitting image of their parents."  
  
"Hey, were are they anyway?"  
  
Everyone glanced around and, to their amazement, knew the answer.  
  
"Baby-sitting their grandkids." Billy caught the gaze of a blonde. "Our   
grandkids," he whispered.  
  
"Someone break open a bottle of champagne! This is cause for   
celebration." But someone already had. Glasses, teeming with the   
bubbling drink, were passed around while the group laughed and   
discussed all the memories they'd never had before.  
  
Jason, their field man, paused for a moment to be taken aback.  
Was it possible that so many people were made happy, so many lives   
created and memories formed, was it possible all of that had stemmed   
from a single love affair? That by taking two lovers who had lived   
lonely, miserable lives and giving them a second chance, the friends   
had given themselves a new chance as well?  
  
Who could've imagined.  
  
"Wait, wait just a moment," said Aisha. They turned to him. "I am now   
entering the very first ever record. Ahem. June 17, 2023. Our first   
mission to unite Thomas Oliver and Kimberly Ann Hart has been   
successfully completed. Both are happy and well. All of us here have   
been flooded with new memories, and yet retained our old ones as well.   
Interesting effect. On a side note, we were also triumphant in our   
secondary mission, to unite Member Kat's cousin and girlfriend. Because   
we have been met with such great reslults, I propose mission two. I   
have a neice, prettiest kid in the world, who just can't find the right   
guy..." Laughter filled the room, as people began offering solutions,   
strategies, and mapping out the plan.   
  
One man leaned over to his friend. "Who says we need super powers to   
make the world a better place. I say the Power Rangers are back!"  
  
As they continued talking, no one noticed a new addition to the room: a   
row of pictures on the wall. Several were of the group, of their   
children, even an old one of Alpha leaning against the control panel of   
the HQ.  
  
One stood to the far right. A girl, high school age with brown hair and   
pink and white overalls, and a guy with long, curly-ish locks and a   
green tank top, stood together in middle of a park. She was leaning   
against his chest, contentment shining in her eyes. His expression was   
blank, save for the quiet, peaceful smile that bent the upper edges of   
his lips as he looked down at the treasure in his arms.  
  
And if anyone had looked it over, they'd have realized there was   
scribbling on the back. A lazily written note to a friend in small   
letters. It read:  
  
  
All right, Trini, here's your copy of the   
picture. Isn't he adorable? Don't tell the  
guys I said this, but I think I'm in love.   
Don't laugh, either. We may have just met a  
few weeks ago, but mark my words. He's the one.   
Cya, Kim  
  
  
  
  
  
  
FIN  
  
  
  
  
  
Review! I'm fanfiction.net or eileenblzr@yahoo.com. Thank you very   
much! 


End file.
